AN EXTRACTOR fan burst into flames in an Abingdon home this morning leaving smoke billowing from the roof.

Passers by helped to alert the occupier to the developing fire by banging on the door of the Hamble Drive property. 

They had noticed the smoke coming from the roof but the occupier was unaware because there was no alarm on the first floor near the fire in the bathroom. 

Two fire engines from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service attended the incident from Abingdon and Oxford Fire Stations.

The fire had been extinguished when the engines arrived but the occupier had to be treated by South Central Ambulance Service for smoke inhalation and taken to hospital for precautionary tests. 

Crew Manager Orr said: “The occupier was only alerted to the fire thanks to passers-by noticing the smoke coming from the roof and banging on the door.

"No smoke alarm was present on the first floor, which if it had been would almost certainly have alerted the occupier sooner.

"If it wasn’t for the passers-by, the outcome could have been a lot different.

"We recommend that you should have at least one smoke alarm per floor, and that they should be tested at least once a week.